Hiatus.

Due to personal reasons and lack of motivation to run this blog we have decided to go inte hiatus. However if you live in Scandinavia and still want to keep track of what we are doing we recommend you to visit our other blog.

This blog is written in our native tounge which for us feels more comfortable at this moment.

We want to thank everyone who have read our words and thoughts.

http://misarmanufakteriet.blogspot.se/

40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room (2011)

Band: 40 Watt Sun

Album: The Inside Sun

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Some people that I know have already started to make plans for this years christmas. Myself, I have started no make plans for next years festivals I want to visit. Right now the scales tip in favour of Roadburn Festival in April. The main reason is that both Sleep and Bongripper are performing and also.. well that is pretty much the reason. But since I'm curious man I decided that I might as well check out the other band. The first band that drew my attention was 40 Watt Sun, mainly because I think the bandname is great (good bandname is important folks). They play a sort of mellow and post-rockish doom with long and slow songs with epic clean vocals. I'm going to make a comparsion that some of you might not understand and some of you who do might think I'm an idiot. The first thing that striked me when i listened to The Inside Room was that it sounded like a mash up between swedish bands Cult of Luna and Broder Daniel. For those who maybe haven't heard of Broder Daniel I can say that they were a really big pop-band here in Sweden. If you some day end up at a party with a lot of swedes just put on the song Shoreline and watch as they all make fools of themselves. Anyhow, I'm not saying that 4o Watt Sun is a copy of the two bands, rather a mix of the feelings that those two band create. Maybe it's a swedish thing, maybe I should get my head checked. You be the judge.

Song(s) you should listen to: Carry Me Home is the song that I think has the best melody and also the best vocals. A perfect song to chill out to.

DOWNLOAD

Breach - Venom (1999)

Band: Breach
Album: Venom
Year: 1999
Country: Sweden
When talking about 90's hardcore from the north of Sweden, Refused is the first band that comes to everybodys mind. Probably because of all the fuzz they created. But you see, I was born in the very south of Sweden in the very late 80's, so the Refused phenomena hasn't affected my musical manners at all. All I know is that I can get slightly agitated because there is a band that is far more valuable mentioning in my opinion...
Breach started off as a the normal hardcore band 1993, and stayed that way about 4 years. When their third release It's Me God came out, their sound changed more towards the darker direction. It was their breakthrough in Sweden, so about 2 years later, they decided to record pure madness and aggression and released Venom.
And this album is way ahead it's time I have to say. A lot of bands today would kill to have this kind of tension in their album. It sounds like your stuck in a mental asylum. The whole album is filled with very intense drumming, and heavy guitar/bass cooperations. This makes you want to destroy every piece of furniture in your apartment. The song and lyrics are also pissed off, and slightly delusional. I believe that this is somewhat of a concept album about about someone who committed murders and crimes on a regular basis, convinced that he belongs to hell. There comes a point in his life where he finds some kind of happiness, but soon all the consequences from his former actions will catch him up, making him go through hell again.

Song(s) you should listen to: I mentioned that this album was way ahead it's time. That means that it's not flawless. Unfortunately all of the songs on this album have the same elements, which makes it hard to seperate them the first times you listen to the album. They just seem to sound a bit too similar. But the most disturbing and peculiar track of this album is the last song Pentration. The song title makes a little girl like me blush, but this song will hammer into your fucking skull.

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Chicagojazzen - Brachiosaurus II

Band: Chicagojazzen

Album: Brachiosaurus II

Year: 2011

Country: Sweden

He's done it again folks. The mastermind behind Chigaojazzen has released 17 new tracks of indie-insanity, noise-neurosis, pop-pandemonium, folk-ferocity and electro-ecstasy. You can pretty much say that this is a record that has it all. There is even a "dansbands-låt" (the English word would be country-song I guess) and manages to pull it off somehow. Every song has that special "homerecording" feeling to them. Not in a crappy-high-school-garage-band way, but in a cozy way. You can feel that this is a man that loves to have fun with all sorts of music and is very passionate about what he is doing.

The songs are pretty much what you would expect them to be if you have heard the latest album, Misantropi För Nybörjare. The first thing that strikes me is that there are a lot more vocal parts on this album, which is a good thing in my mind. Even if they mostly consist of some humming and moaning they ad an extra layer of frosting on the already sweet cake. The songtitles are once again brilliant and entertaining by themselves. For example we have Sverige Ut Ur Västerbotten! (Sweden out of Västerbotten), När Bastun Brann Ner och Bryggan Sjönk (When the sauna burned down and the bridge sank) and Jag Bröt Av Mina Briller För Att Slippa Se Dig Igen (I broke my glasses to not having to see you again). These songs are available on cassette at Native Parts Records and if you live in Sweden you can also buy it from one of the releaseshows that will be held at various parts of Sweden.

Song(s) you should listen to: To be honest I haven't had the time to listen to this that much due to my busy job schedule but I really like the first song Talar I Tungor. It's a fast and ferocious song that sounds like a mix between a theme-song from some Miami Vice-series and insane circus music. A fire starter to say the least. I'm really looking forward to listen to this on cassette.

DOWNLOAD/HOMEPAGE

We were interviewed..

By our fellow bloggers in Situation Skitstörd. You can read the whole interview if you click on the link below. It's in Swedish so our foreign readers will have to excuse us this time.

http://situationskitstord.blogspot.com/2011/07/that-church-better-be-on-fire.html

Kristian Anttila - Innan Bomberna (2005)

Band: Kristian Anttila
Album: Innan Bomberna
Year: 2005
Country: Sweden
Okay, so after Kristian released his first album Natta De Mina, he just disappeared. The only thing we know happened then was a fight between Kristian and the record label. He therefore created his own label two years later and released Innan Bomberna there, and stated "it was the shortest way from his heart to the listener's". Innan Bomberna got praised by reviewers everywhere, and the song Paris got much attention from media since he sang about the riots in Paris imidiately after it happened.
In the process of making this album Kristian got help from other great musicians, making the sound more varied. The sound overall is softer, sugary sweet and playful at times, but still straight forward, fitting Kristian's bipolar personality. If you come across an interview of this man, you should sincerely read it. They're most often completely hilarious, and you don't really know if he's speaking the truth or if he's just making it up. To the question "What would make you happy?" he answers:
"I would probably have to re-live my life from the start to achieve that. What I miss is the ability to feel solidarity, affinity, and to have normal relationships... I don't know. I was about to move to a big house on the countryside last autumn, I though that was the solution back then. I would like to have a lot of animals. And I still have those ideas, I'm just not completely done yet. But I don't feel like any of that today. It's just because I'm horny. I've thought about neutering myself by the way. I would like to see how it is to live without the sex drive. If that's the only thing behind our motivation. To live."

Song(s) you should listen to: This album is full of great catchy danceable tracks! My favourites are probably Bland Bovar Å Banditer, where he sings about getting rid of criminals and troublesome youngsters, while realising he's one of them. I also like the super eccentric and happy Ingenting, Ingenting... Ingenting!!! where Kristian out of nowhere sings about the feeling of rejection, and suicide as the way out.
I told you before that Kristians trademark is that the last track is always the best. On this statement is actually true about the two last tracks. The track Tio is a well-written song about being an outcast, and how no one is able to help you, and it turns quite epic in the end. It also has a wonderful acoustic version, which is almost better than the "real" one. The last track Innan Bomberna is fragile, vulnerable, and heartbreaking, but just as great.

WEBSITE / DOWNLOAD

Kristian Anttila - Natta De Mina (2003)

Band: Kristian Anttila
Album: Natta De Mina
Year: 2003
Country: Sweden
Consider this as a warning, but the next four posts will not handle any pretentious metal band from hell. Instead they will be about Kristian Anttila, a peculiar outcast from Gothenburg, who decided he wanted to make music as a teenager. He tried to get into the music business somehow, but always got missunderstood because of the things he wanted to create, or by his slightly bipolar personality. He realised that he would probably have to do this journey alone, so he learned to play some instruments and wrote an album when he was 24 years old. He sended it around to some record labels, and got hooked by National, but they wanted someone else to produce the album to be able to release it. And Natta De Mina is the result of that.
Even though it's a pop album, you will get strucked be the kind of dirty and punky feel it has to it. It's very loud, and a bit hysterical and distorted at times. The lyrics are also quite extreme to be this kind of pop music. He's not afraid to say what he thinks about loaded subjects such as religion and politics, always in a very provocative way. And if that wasn't provocative enough, he most often tops it with sex, violence, and drugs. These are just some of the facts that makes his lyrics great, and if you don't know Swedish... Too bad for you.

Song(s) you should listen to: During the first two tracks Harhjärta and Hetsdöpt you will probably wonder what the fuck is going on. They're both extremely loud and eccentric. After this you will probably get your consciousness back somewhere during the rest of the album.
Kristan Anttila kind of has a trademark in making the last song of the album very soft, vulnerable, and completely wonderful. The last track is always the best when it comes to his works. And so is the case with the last track on Natta De Mina. It's a humble and sweet lullaby, making your ears a bit happier after the pop punk torture.

WEBSITE / DOWNLOAD

Suis La Lune - Heir (2008)

Band: Suis La Lune
Album: Heir
Year: 2008
Country: Sweden
To me it feels like this really good record was released yesterday, and since we haven't uploaded it yet, I decided to do so. I got in complete shock when I realised this was released in 2008. That was like 3 years ago. And so the age crisis kicks in...
Anyways, Suis La Lune has forever been, and will always be, one of Sweden's emo sweethearts. Maybe the whole world's emo sweethearts actually, they've toured Europe and the US after two releases and have been praised since then. Even the fact that their lyrics mostly suck is forgiven. I think people look pass that in this case since you will have trouble hearing the actual words most of the time. They're most often whined or mumbled, or just drowned by the guitar. The vocals are heart aching and perfect for the genre though. They're very picky and careful with writing music, and it shows. Even though it's screamo, and very chaotic at times, their thing is to include very melodic light parts with soft sweeps of hope as well. Which actually makes it pleasant to listen to by others who don't have a sadomasochistic music taste, or like to roll around in self pity.

Song(s) you should listen to: Well, it's just an EP, so you better listen to all four songs. They all shift from soft beautiful melodies to chaotic and epileptic bunny thump parts. Just enough to keep you focused for the next 15 minutes.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

I Hate Myself - 3 Songs (2005)

Band; I Hate Myself

Album: 3 Songs

Year: 2005

Country: United States

When I choose albums to write about on this blog I try to find albums that are "fresh" or albums that I think deserves more listeners. Very "hipsterish" I know but I just find it more interesting that way. This time we'll try something different. Anyone who consider themselves to be a fan of the emo-genre have most likely already stumbled across I Hate Myself. I guess you can say that they are kind of a "gateway-band" to the genre. This is the last record that the Marburger brothers ever recorded under the name I Hate Myself, since then they have been performing in other bands such as Burnman and Die Hoffnung.

The album was released as a one-sided LP containing three songs (well duh!) and is inspired by the life of Roy Sullivan. Roy Sullivan was a park ranger who lived in Virginia, United States. Between the years 1942-1977 Roy was hit by lightning on seven various occasions but amazingly enough he survived all of them. Eventually people started avoiding the man, afraid that they too would get hit by lightning. That made him very sad of course and on the 28th of September 1983, at the age of 71, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the stomach. I have heard other stories saying he shot himself because his wife left him but it's a very sad story anyway.

"Sadness" is very strongly represented on this album. Unlike earlier releases by I Hate Myself these three songs are very mellow and not as spastic as other songs. Apart from some screaming on the first song Roy Sullivan, By Lightning Loved the lyrics are smoothly sung through the whole album, making this a very soft album compared to they're previous releases. But according to me this is by far the best songs that this band ever recorded. The songs, the aesthetic and the theme of the album is just so perfectly fit together. Apart from that I think that the song is by far the best Jim Marburger has ever sung on a I Hate Myself release, I don't even miss the desperate screaming and the pitiful whining from previous songs.

Whenever I get in the mood for some I Hate Myself this is the record I always put on and I find it very hard to part from it. Not that I would ever want to.

Song(s) you should listen to: My favorite is definitely Roy Sullivan, By Lightning Loved. The middle part is really soothing and that one hit on the snare drum right before the song kicks off at 2:35 always makes me smile. From there the song just pours itself over you with emotion.

The Lightning Says. I can't stop thinking that the last words I Hate Myself ever sung was "I love you, love me too". Brilliant, just brilliant.

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Terra Tenebrosa - The Tunnels (2011)

Band: Terra Tenebrosa
Album: The Tunnels
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Some people like to dress up as spooky creatures, run around in the woods, and rehearse in a studio full of dead rats and mould. Include a concept involving a main character with the hazardous name The Cuckoo - an enlighted spirit who tries to bring justice to this world, with help of his two assistants Risperdal and Hibernal (which are also two types of drugs used by patients with mental disorders). Didn't thought such a band existed? Well, let me introduce you to Terra Tenebrosa.
The band members have decided to be anonymous, but it's no secret that two of them were members of the old hardcore band Breach. The idea about Terra Tenebrosa actually started when one of the members rediscovered two songs he wrote for Breach that never got recorded. They experimented a lot with these songs, because they didn't wanted them to sound "too Breach". One of Breach's characteristics is still there in most of the songs though - the heavy cooperation between drums/guitar that will hammer into your head like ten thousand tanks. Other than that, it's not so easy to figure out the influences behind this. It has some really good drone-parts, but other than it's hard to categorize. The overall mood is dark and atmospheric, sometimes actually a bit disturbing. The vocals are haunting and barely there, in fact Terra Tenebrosa was supposed to be an instrumental project from the beginning.

Song(s) you should listen to: Well, if you haven't gotten into a state of apocalyptic headbanging after the first track The Terranbos Prayer, you're simply not human. But if I would have to chose a favourite track, I would probably chose The Mourning Stars, which is actually pretty pleasant to listen to during the first half of the song. Then it makes me almost a bit nauseous, but in some kind of sick sadistic good way, which develops in the following track The Arc Of Descent.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Veil - Dolor (2005)

Band: Veil
Album: Dolor
Year: 2005
Country: USA
Sometimes you come across a band where all the members themselfs seems to be fuckheads, but they have a special something making you listening to them anyway. This is the case with Veil. They're members of The Pagan Front, which is basically a pack of NSBM-bands promoting unpleasant stuff like "aryan pride". I feel quite bad for uploading Peste Noire not that long ago, who also have those kinds of opinions (though in a more provocative way), and I just have to say that it's not something we share. I am a bastard's daughter, and I definately not judge people by their skin colour, origin, or something else than their personality. With that been said, back to the album.
This album is actually quite ordinary. The guitars are very distorted throughout the whole album, contributing to a very cold and harsh mood. The drums are quite slow, and they basically just hang out in the background. The vocals are haunting and melts in with the music, making it an instrument. But some guitar riffs are really good and they do get stuck on your mind. The album cover and logo of the band are also an eyecatcher, if you compare it to other bands in the genre. So as a conclusion: If you're normally not into DSBM, you will probably not like this either. But if you are, you will probably find this a good album.

Song(s) you should listen to: Okay, first of all, the intro Suicide Winds is a good track to start with, since it sets the mood for the entire album. But tell me why they did include it another time, in pretty much exactly the same way as a fifth track? It just gets too repetitive.
There is also a Burzum-cover on this album on Ea, Lord Of The Depths. And it sounds pretty much like the ordinary cover. But it's good done, even though they didn't put any own touch into it.
The track you should start to listen to is actually the last track Endless Nights. It's the track which stand out the most on this album, making the other tracks sound like fillers. You will probably start to hum the guitar riff from this in your sleep.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Altar Of Plagues - Mammal (2011)

Band: Altar Of Plagues
Album: Mammal
Year: 2011
Country: Ireland
I've followed Altar Of Plagues since their first full length-album, and their development is so interesting to follow. Ever since their demo, when they mostly were extremely influenced by Wolves In The Throne Room, you can hear that they have the potential to make something great that's never really been done before. And for every release they've done, they've gotten closer to that.
Altar Of Plagues has their own sound, but it twists and turns a bit from every album, so you can never foresee anything. When I heard the atmosphericness in the first few seconds of the album, I could not imagine the intenseness that would follow. And those are the key words for the whole album. You'll get escorted into this repetitive atmospheric part, and then all of a sudden, you just get carried away in the speed of darkness. Some may probably say that this album is too repetitive with these parts, since the tracks are also quite long, but they haven't understood the patterns of this journey Altar Of Plagues will serve you.
I also know that some people have commented on the production of this. This album is very well produced, but they don't do it the common way. Their drums are set very high, the guitars are quite low, and the vocals are really distant. It sounds like they come from a man screaming out his desperation alone in the woods. I just think it sets the whole album.

Song(s) you should listen to: Well, I got this album yesterday, confirmed that it was really good, and uploaded it. Therefore I would say that you should just listen to the album from the beginning to the end, but some song will maybe grow you a favourite after a couple of listenings. The first track - Neptune Is Dead, will blow your mind though. The Sun Drowns In The Ocean is very experimental, with a humming and joiking woman together with an atmospheric mood. I could imagine many would skip this track, because it's very unexpected, to say the least. But the end of the song flows perfectly into the last track All Life Converges To Some Center, which I really adore. I actually got tears in my eyes while listening to it, it's really beautiful.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Deafheaven - Roads To Judah (2011)

Band: Deafheaven
Album: Roads To Judah
Year: 2011
Country: USA
Last time we wrote about Deafheaven I wished them the best of luck in the future. That was probably unnecessary, because this album just blew my mind. And last time I also said that you would get the same feeling while listening to this band as you would with Agalloch, Wolves In The Throne Room, or Altar Of Plagues. Damn you guys to hell, I have to take those words back, because I was wrong. Again.
Even though it's their first album, they already have a picture of how they want their music to sound like, and follows that thread for every second. The most impressive part is that this is unique. This is not Black Metal, Shoegaze, Post-Hardcore, or whatever. They're not scientists or such, but they've borrowed influences from so many different genres that it is impossible to fit it into anything. Stuff such as fluttering "butterfly guitars" isn't something new, but it's already the signature of Deafheaven. And damn, those butterfly guitars are great. Combined with the pounding drums they make the whole album both intense and vulnerable at the same time.
And yeah, I know that the album cover is too lame for vikings such as us, and that they're still somewhat considered as a "hipster-band". They even have a Tumblr instead of a real band page. But come on, just watch some live clips - they know what they do, and they're tight as hell. End of discussion.

Song(s) you should listen to: Violet is a perfect opener of this album. It's slow melancholic intro will certainly get you into right state of mind before it really starts. But don't let go of all your consciousness, when the song really starts, be prepared to grab on to your chair.
Language Games is a bit more aggressive and intense, such as Tunnel Of Trees. Just the way I like it. The only song I'm not very into is Unrequited, but I know that some of you would like that as well. So just listen to the whole album.

BANDCAMP / DOWNLOAD

Vestiges summer tour

Vestiges asked us if we could post something about their upcoming summertour here on our blog. And since we have a lot of american readers and since Vestiges are great guy's I couldn't resist their charm. So if you live in America or Canada you should definitely go and see them and support them. I know that they would appreciate it a lot. And while you're there you should convince them to do a Euro-tour as well.

These are the dates.

-Vestiges with Lake of Blood (Human Jigsaw Records) (facebook.com/lakeovblood)-

6/9 Olympia, WA @ TBA

6/10 Seattle, WA @ Autonomia w/Alda
6/11 Vancouver, BC @ Garbage Mountain w/Tempest and Haggatha
6/12 Portland, OR @ Blackrose Infoshop
6/13 Salem, OR @ The Wasteland w/MANIA
6/14 Medford, OR @ Music Head
6/15 Oakland, CA @ Yourhaus/Hazmat
6/16 Santa Cruz, CA @ House Show

6/17 San Fransisco, CA @ Sub-Mission Art Gallery
6/18 Garden Grove, CA @ The Cabin
6/19 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe w/ Vessel, I

-Vestiges-
6/20 Las Cruces, NM @ Trainyard
6/21 Eagle Pass, TX @ 3759 Tina Dr.
6/22 Austin, TX @ The Broken Neck
6/23 Shreveport, LA @ Dalzell House
6/24 Chattanooga, TN @ Anarchtica
6/25 Charlotte, NC @ Lunchbox Records w/Young and in the Way

-Vestiges with Full of Hell (a389) (facebook.com/fullofhell)-
6/26 Baltimore, MD @ TBA
6/27 Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records
6/28 NYC @ Stolen Sleeves Collective w/Pharaoh

6/29 Boston, MA @ TBA w/INTHESHIT
6/30 Holyoke, MA @ The Rowhouse
7/1 Montreal, QC @ TBA
7/2 Quebec, QC @ TBA
7/3 Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Dekcuf w/ALASKAN, Loviatar
7/4 Toronto, ON @ The 460
7/5 Kitchener, ON @ The Hive
7/6 Windsor, ON @ Holden House
7/7 Cleveland, OH @ Tower 2012 w/Homewrecker

7/8 Columbus, OH @ TBA w/ Bastards, Vit

-Vestiges with Lapse (facebook.com/lapsenoise)-
7/9 Pittsburgh, PA @ Helter Shelter

7/10 Milton, PA @ The Tin Can

Drunkdriver - Drunkdriver (2010)

Band: Drunkdriver

Album: Drunkdriver

Year: 2010

Country: United States

Knee deep in schoolwork and no job for the summer. I feel like punching someone or something. But I need my hands and I would probably just get beat up if I were to take out my rage on someone. Luckily we have bands like Drunkdriver. Or perhaps I should say "had". These guys broke up some time ago now due to one of the band members going to prison or so I think. I won't speculate in any rumors, If you want to engage in such things I suggest you contact me and buy me a coffee instead. To the matter at hands, this is a album that really gets the blood boiling. Limbering somewhere between hardcore and noise, but always right in your face. There are super-fast songs as well as some slower and sludgier ones. Though I like my share of speedy songs I prefer the slower ones here. I think the sheer heaviness suits the noisy guitars and psychotic vocals more. So if you are pretty much sick of the whole world as I am then this is as good as it gets.

Song(s) you should listen to: Quality of my Life will most certainly knock you of your chair and fill you with caveman rage. Just make sure there are no sharp objects nearby.

DOWNLOAD